In this era of cost-benefit-analysis moviemaking it is becoming increasingly rare for a major studio film to be made that cannot be easily pigeonholed. A.I. was one; it was produced largely by the force of Steven Spielberg, and -- like most Kubrick projects -- landed mostly in the extremes of reviewers' opinions. Some lauded it as the best film ever, while others -- and, it would seem, the general public -- panned it as unfocused, confusing, and ultimately self-indulgent. Few critics placed it in the middle.

The year's other oddball wide-release film, Baz Luhrmann's hallucinogenic Bohemian rhapsody Moulin Rouge, had a similar extreme effect on critics. While some reviewers -- more often than not, those whose critical careers largely predated the onset of the rapid-fire editing inherited from music videos -- wrote the film off as noisy and headache-inducing, the majority recognized what the film attempted and ultimately succeeded. Moulin Rouge has begun to appear on many "best of 2001" lists, and on December 5^th won the "Best Picture of the Year" honor from the National Board of Review, suggesting that it might do well in the Academy Award nominations.

The title, of course, refers to the famous Parisian dance hall built in 1889 which used a red windmill as its streetside lure; the windmill symbol was a holdover from the time of Louis XIV, when the hilltop Montmartre section of Paris housed as many as thirty windmills. The club is still there and still operating, albeit without the courtyard and the stucco elephant originally constructed for the Universal Exhibition of 1889, which was gone when the hall was rebuilt in 1906. Paris retained another construction from the 1889 Exhibition, however -- Le Tour Eiffel.

The film is not perfect, by any means. After a brilliant credits sequence, the film takes fifteen minutes or so to find its voice -- but it is a crucial fifteen minutes. Ewan MacGregor's anguish, used as a framing device, goes on just a little too long -- a perfect opportunity to transition to the backstory is missed --- and when we finally enter the backstory proper, the opening slapstick sequence is an embarrassment. Although it does succinctly introduce the main characters as well as prepare us for the filmic style, it is far cruder in concept than the rest of the film; one gets the impression that it was a sequence filmed very early in the production, and should have been rethought once the film found its more sophisticated style. Once the green absynthe fairy appears to usher us into the nightspot itself, however, the film accelerates and never lets up, becoming audaciously self-confident and frenetic in a way that constantly (and consistently) disarms the viewer.

In Romeo + Juliet, Luhrmann crafted a film which takes place in the present, but whose characters speak in Shakespearian English; Moulin Rouge, conversely, is set in 1899, but the characters converse in present-day syntax and sing pop songs from the 1960s through today, ranging from Nature Boy and The Sound Of Music to Lady Marmalade and Like a Virgin. Oddly enough it works -- and works well, amid the extremely dense soundscape and visual onslaught of the production. In the same way that Clockwork Orange forever co-opted "Singing In The Rain," you'll never again be able to listen to Elton John's "Your Song" without seeing images from this film.

Movie musicals can get away an enormous amount of artistic license as long as at the core of the film there is something believable that affords the viewer a path into the artifice. Director/co-writer Luhrmann had a vision of Montmarte and the Moulin Rouge that defied storyboarding; he describes it as "a mood, a movement, an era," and the miracle of the film is that he has successfully accomplished exactly that. Although there is perhaps not a single realistic scene in the movie -- artifice abounds, from the operatic Meliés singing moon in the sky to the dance-floor subwoofer thumping of the club itself (depicted as a turn-of-the-century Studio 54) -- one comes out at the end of the film with a real sense of what the club and the surrounding 18^th Arrondisement must have been like in 1899. It is that foundation that the musical is built upon.

Film Synopsis: A spectacle beyond anything you've ever witnessed. An experience beyond everything you've ever imagined. Behind the red velvet curtain, the ultimate seduction of your senses is about to begin. Welcome to the "Moulin Rouge!" Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor sing, dance and scale the heights of passionate abandon in the year's most talked-about movie from visionalry director Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom). Enter a tantalizing world that celebrates truth, beauty, freedom and above all things, love.

Technical

Video:	Widescreen 1.85:1 (Anamorphic)
Audio:	ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 ENGLISH: DTS 5.1 SPANISH or FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles:	English, Closed Captions
Chapters:	36

Moulin Rouge is presented in a 2.35:1 widescreen, anamorphically-enhanced. As we've come to expect from tentpole releases such as this, colors are strong -- particularly important in the case of this largely carnival-colored film. Some weakness in the blues was briefly evident in the breakout fantasy-dance sequence during the "Your Song" scene, but otherwise seemed locked on. No evidence of aggressive edge-enhancement was found, although such artifacts would be difficult to spot (and invisible to the casual viewer) given the rapid-fire editing of the film. In general, Moulin Rouge has one of the best-appearing transfers of the season; the image has an outstanding richness and realism, and there are several scenes that are easily of demo quality.

Both the Dolby Digital 5.1 and the DTS tracks handle the audio superbly. In theaters the film's audio tended towards the middle-to-high frequencies, wall-of-sound style; the DVD's audio seems to us to have been slightly tweaked to include a richer lower end, and is more satisfying than we remember from the theater. Rear-channel effects are conservative, but appropriate. The DTS track seems to have slightly more space than the DD. but either is acceptable, and the difference is not noticeable unless you repeatedly switch between the two.

Bulletin: There are two different pressings of Moulin Rouge available, one with a French 2.0 audio track and one with Spanish 2.0. On the pressing that includes the Spanish audio, reports are beginning to surface of a sync problem involving the English DTS track, and possibly the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track as well. It is unknown at this point if the problem is widespread, or is limited to particular players; the problem is reported to clear up approximately twenty-five minutes into the film. We have the Spanish-track pressing, and do not see any sync problems (for either English track) on either a Toshiba or Panasonic player; if you have a sync problem on this disc, drop us a line. We'll compile the results and forward them to TCFHE.

Supplements

Disc One:

• Audio Commentary with Baz Luhrmann (director), Catherine Martin (production designer and costumer), and Don McAlpine (director of photography)
• Audio Commentary with Baz Luhrmann (director) and Craig Pearce (writer)
• Behind The Red Curtain

Disc Two:

• The Making of Moulin Rouge (HBO First Look featurette) (25:56)
• The Stars (0:56):
  • Nicole Kidman -- Satine (3:28)
  • Ewan McGregor -- Christian (3:09)
  • John Leguizamo -- Toulouse Lautrec (2:17)
  • Jim Broadbent -- Zidler (2:15)
  • Richard Roxburgh -- The Duke (2:30)
• This Story Is About...
• Interview with writers Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce (3:52)
• Craig Pierce reads early treatment (2:15)
• Old storylines and script comparisons
• The Cutting Room
  • Interview with editor Jill Bilcock and Baz Luhrmann (3:38)
  • Unseen footage of abandoned edits:
  • 'Come What May' from Preview Screening No. 2 (5:05)
  • 'Dance Across the Sky' from Preview Screening No. 1 (2:01)
  • 'Zidler's Rap' First Assembly, slow tempo (1:33)
  • 'Outside It May Be Raining' to 'Meet the Boho's' First Assembly (3:22)
  • 'Green Fairy Previsualization' featuring Serena the Visual FX Co-ordinator (1:01)
  • Director's mock previsualizations (with apologies to the actors) (4:28)
• The Dance
• The Dance
• A Word From Baz (0:28)
• Tango (Extended / Multi-cam) (5:36 / 5:58)
• Hindi (Extended) (3:23)
• Can-Can (Extended / Multi-cam) (4:30 / 2:23)
• Coup d'Etat (Extended / Multi-cam) (0:47 / 0:58)
• Choreography
• Interview with Choreographer John Cha Cha O'Connell (5:52)
• Rehearsals (13:11)
• The Music
  • The Musical Journey (interview with composer Craig Armstrong and musical director Marius De Vries) (9:23)
  • Interview with Fatboy Slim (3:39)
  • The Lady Marmalade Phenomenon:
  • Live MTV Movie Awards -- Christina Aguilera, L'il Kim, Mya and Pink (5:21)
  • Lady Marmalade music clip featuring Missy Elliott (4:26)
  • "Come What May" music video (4:06)
• The Design
  • Interview with Production Designer and Co-costume Designer Catherine Martin (6:24)
  • Set Design:
  • The Street
  • The Gothic Tower
  • The Interior
  • Spectacular Spectacular
  • The Garden
  • The Elephant
  • The Elephant Red Room
  • Toulouse's Studio
  • Christian's Garrett
  • Interview with Co-costume Designer Angus Strathie (2:09)
  • Costume Design:
  • A Courtesan's Wardrobe
  • The Can-Can Girls
  • The Bohemians
  • Tango Underwear
  • Graphic Design (1:46)
  • Smoke And Mirrors:
  • The Evolution of the Intro (4:31)
  • The Green Fairy (3:41)
• Marketing
  • International Sizzle Reel (3:00)
  • Photo Gallery:
  • Ellen Von Unwerth
  • Mary Ellen Mark
  • Douglas Kirkland
  • Sue Adler
  • Merrick Morton
  • The Little Red Book
  • Poster Gallery
  • Trailers:
  • Theatrical trailer (2:30)
  • Japanese theatrical trailer (1:50)
  • Red Curtain box set trailer (1:34)
  • Disc credits
  • Music promo spot (0:30)

The amount and scope of the supplements in the Moulin Rouge set is astounding, and requires several passes through the film to appreciate. We are almost glad that few films are given this treatment, as we'd never have time to leave the house.

On the first disc is a feature called "Behind the Red Curtain," similar to the "Follow the White Rabbit" feature on The Matrix. With the option selected, at several points during the unspooling of the film a Green Fairy outline will appear on the screen; selecting "Enter" from your remote control then takes you behind the scenes, generally in surprising little three-minute segments that show you discarded takes, practice sessions, animatics, or other interesting minutiae.

There are also two distinct commentaries, one by Baz Luhrmann, AP/costume and production designer Catherine Martin, and cinematographer Don McAlpine, and the other by Baz and co-screenwriter Craig Pierce. Clearly showing his enthusiasm for the project, Luhrmann seldom repeats himself between the two commentaries; both commentaries remain interesting for their entire length, and although we preferred the second one (with Pierce), both are major assets to the set.

With the commentaries and the "Red Curtain" feature, the first disc alone could stand as an outstanding Special Edition. The second disc, however, puts the first one to shame; s much of the four-year process of bringing this film to the screen is documented here that it is a virtual encyclopedia. It's impossible to go through in a single sitting.

The most interesting part of the HBO First Look featurette, for us, was the archival film footage of the real Moulin Rouge as it was in the opening years of the twentieth century. Paris was the European birthplace for motion pictures (Georges Melies had his "Magic Theater" near the Grand Intercontinental hotel, across from the Opera house), so it is not surprising that early footage exists; but to see the actual Elephant and courtyard is a thrill. The footage is undated, but the existence of the Elephant places it between 1899 and 1906.

Another highlight is a long (ten-minutes plus) segment showing the first rehearsal for one of the dance sequences (with an unnamed dancer subbing for Ms. Kidman). Those interested in this piece should also check out the multi-angle dance sequences found in the "Dance" menu, which allow the viewer to switch between four different cameras during the filming of the film's big dance numbers.

Easter eggs:

• The Stars:
• Up from John Leguizamo's segment to highlight the green fairy. Click to see John showcase his sitar outfit. (0:12)
• Type '9' + enter, then '17' + enter to see a clip taken on the last day of principal photography.
• The Cutting Room Floor:
• Go to the main menu and arrow left to highlight the red windmill for an outtake of Nicole Kidman. (1:59)
• Choregraphy:
• Go to the main menu and arrow right to highlight the red windmill for a lighthearted clip of the director. (0:20)
• Dance:
• Highlight "A Word From Baz" and arrow right to highlight the green fairy for another clip of the director. (1:01)
• Design:
• Press '18' + enter, then '99' + enter to see a clip of the makeup artists. (0:14)
• Costume Design:
• Go to the fourth page of the "Courtesan’s Wardrobe" gallery, then go up to highlight a green fairy foran outtake of Ewan. (1:30)
• Go to the fifth page of the "Bohemians" gallery, then go up to highlight a red windmill for a clip of the Bohemians. (0:15)
• Set Design:
• Go to the fifth page of the "Gothic Tower" gallery, then go up to highlight a red windmill for a rehearsal clip of Nicole and Richard. (0:14)
• Go to the second page of the "Spectacular Spectacular" gallery, then go up to highlight a green fairy for a short tour with Baz. (0:40)
• Music:
• The Lady Marmalade Phenomenon:
• Go right from "Main Menu" to highlight a red windmill for a clip of Baz and Dubsy. (0:12)
• Photo Gallery:
• Marketing:
• Go right from "Mary Ellen Mark" to highlight a red windmill for John Leguizamo's costume test. (0:38)
• This Story Is About:
• "Old Storylines & Script Comparisons":
• Go right from "Return" to highlight a green fairy for a clip of Baz and Craig. (0:25)
• Smoke & Mirrors:
• Type '5' + enter, then '18' + enter for a -- well, I can't really describe it. (0:15)
• Special Features:
• On the last main menu, go right from the "Back" arrow to highlight a red fairy for an outtake with Broadbent. (0:50)